A Genius, Monsieur
by JazzinLyric
Summary: A reflection upon genius turning to madness. "And I could do nothing..."


**Author's Note:** Inspired by a few observations and a line by a line from the 2004 movie.

**Disclaimer:** Own Phantom? Not I.

**-=o0o=-**

A Genius, Monsieur

**-=o0o=-**

A _genius_, Monsieur...

_But clearly, genius has turned to madness._

It was true.

No matter how much I mentally denied it, it was true. And the truth would never disappear. The truth simply hung over me like a cloud, threatening and warning of the severe storm of altercation steadily approaching. I cannot describe the feeling or give it justice in any other words; the calm was over. This lull had lasted within those three months of no communication, no indication, no hint of existence even…then it was over. Peace – if one could call it that – had ended.

The thunder had died; the lightening was simply building.

I remember how after I had finished telling the Vicomte of the – of Erik's – origins before he had come to the Opera House, I had broken down. I had broken down because…well, because I had realized what _genius_ had broken down into… so I broke down as well. The Vicomte had not needed to hint at it or to even verbalize it in order for me to come to my senses. All of those years, _all_ of those years watching, caring, assisting when needed… What could I possibly think?

What could I think?

I could not stop him. I had tried to reason with him one too many times, but he became so…far gone. He originally had not meant to fall in love with Christine, but who ever means to fall in love? In fact, at first he refused to, telling me that he had been desperately attempting to remind himself of the _"monstrosity"_ he was, forcing himself to stare at his reflection on a daily basis. It was like a drug to him – her voice. He needed it, longed for it, and soon he longed _for_ her. He said it would never happen, that he could not allow it…that it would become his demise if he allowed himself to love this girl...

It was true. I knew it would be true.

I remember he then disappeared back into the shadows of the corridor and with him disappeared the last time he ever seemed to have full control over his sanity, over his passion for music.

I knew he would fall in love with her. And I could do nothing. _Nothing._

I kept it all away from Marguerite. She did not need to know of my connections to the Opera Ghost. No one did. I was safe that way. _Both_ my daughter and I were safe that way… safe as long as the only other person who knew of any of this was Erik. It sounded backwards – it still does – but it was true.

When the Vicomte left my quarters, I sobbed. I sobbed until all I could do was clutch my shoulders and try to manage a few breaths for fear I would suffocate under the onslaught of sorrow, sorrow that had been building and building for years. I had _never_ felt so helpless in all of my life. Even when my beloved husband had died when Marguerite was seven, I had never been so helpless, so lost. I had had people to whom I could confide, but no one else could know about this at all, about my involvement. The Vicomte was the only one, and certainly _he_ could not help me. He needed to keep to his own agenda and I did not blame him. If he killed Erik…if he killed him… I could not blame him for that either.

I was lost in the entire sense of the word, the entire essence of it.

What could I do? What could I do? I could only sit there, attempting to compose myself, as the man, whom I had looked after for years as we _both_ grew into adulthood, destroyed the fabric of his life. I could only sit there and wonder why he could not have just listened to me. I could only sit there and contemplate what was coming next, what was at the end of this whole terrible tragedy in the works. I could only contemplate on why he did not see that _I_ cared. That he was not alone.

Genius had turned to madness.

Maybe I had turned to madness as well.

**-=o0o=-**

**A/N:** She never gets enough credit. Hope you enjoyed!

**Reviews are much appreciated!**


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